The traditional method of preparing baked potatoes from fresh raw potatoes is inconvenient and time consuming. Baked potatoes are generally prepared by initially scrubbing the potato skins, removing visible defects in the potatoes by hand, and then baking the potatoes in their skins at 350.degree. F. for approximately one hour until the potatoes are uniformly baked.
A well known form of baked potatoes is described in many cookbooks as the "twice baked" or stuffed potato. This product is normally prepared in the home by scooping the inner portion from a previously baked potato, mashing it, combining it with milk and butter and other seasonings, and returning it to the original potato shells. The filled potato shells are then baked an additional short period in an oven to reheat the potatoes and brown their tops. The flavor of the original baked potato is retained, but this process is laborious and time consuming.
The most nutritious and flavorful part of the baked potato is the skin and the portion of the potato flesh immediately inside the skin. However, this valuable portion of the potato is frequently left uneaten by the consumer. Despite the apparent advantages gained from using the entire potato, the convenience food industry has not yet produced a commercially successful fabricated potato product having the flavor of fresh baked potatoes which can be prepared for eating in much shorter time than traditional baked potatoes or twice-baked potatoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,282 to Feinberg discloses a method of cooking raw unpeeled potatoes in a salt solution, followed by storage at refrigerator temperatures, and final heating by radiant energy for preparation. Samples of baked potatoes prepared by this process lack the typical baked potato flavor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,732 to Conrad et al discloses a low-cost frozen mashed potato product in a synthesized edible shell which may be readily prepared for eating. The shell is made from a wheat flour batter poured into preformed shells which are later filled with mashed potatoes. The patent also discloses adding comminuted cooked whole potatoes to the pastry shell to give it a potato flavor. Samples of potatoes prepared by this process lack a typical baked potato flavor; and when the products are reheated in the oven for preparation, a loss of moisture from the mashed potato portion creates an untypical hard skin on the surface.